Paul von Oberstein
Pau von Oberstein (Japanese: パウル・フォン・オーベルシュタイン) served as both an admiral in Lohengramm's fleet and an advisor to Lohengramm himself. Known for his ruthless nature and artificial eyes, Oberstein used every means at his disposal to obliterate the Goldenbaum Dynasty and ensure Reinhard von Lohengramm's rise to power. Early life Little is known of Oberstein's childhood, other than that he caught a disese rendering him blind. More than once, Oberstein commented that, had he been born but a century earlier, he might have been murdered as an infant because of his blindness in accord with the Inferior Genes Exclusion Act. Oberstein was granted sight through the use of a pair of cybernetic implants: artificial eyes. It is likely that Oberstein was forced to endure ridicule as a child for his percieved physical inferiority, and equally likely that this abuse is what fed a deep-seated resentment in him toward the nobility of the Empire and the goldenbaum Dynasty. At some point, Oberstein contemplated attempting a revolution of his own, but abandoned the ambition, realizing himself to be lacking the fundamental qualities required of a revolutionary leader. Military Service Iserlohn Fortress Paul von Oberstein is first seen as a staff officer to admiral Hans Dietrich von Seeckt, commander of the Imperial garrison fleet stationed at Iserlohn Fortress. Oberstein thought his own talents were wasted under an incomptent commander, and approached Siegfried Kircheis shortly after the Battle of Astate, indicating a desire to serve under Reinhard von Lohengramm, having successfully discrerned Reinhard's true political ambitions. Shortly after Captain Oberstein returned to Iserlohn, the fortress was attacked and subsequently captured by FPA admiral Yang Wenli's 13th Fleet in the Fifth Battle of Tiamat. Oberstein attempted to persuade his commander, admiral Seeckt, to press the attack when Yang was at a disadvantage, but Seeckt chose to ignore Oberstein, insisting instead upon a suicidal attack. Yang Wenli killed Seeckt with a single well-placed shot from the Thor Hammer, prompting the Imperial Fleet to withdraw from the star system: despite the loss of the flagship, Oberstein was able to successfully flee the ship before it was destroyed. Vilified as a deserter, the Imperial Navy commanders sought to punish Oberstein for the loss of Iserlohn Fortress: they sought to court-martial and execute him. Obertsein, in response, arranged a meeting with Reinhard von Lohengramm. Oberstein openly expressed his hatred of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, and his desire to help Reinhard destroy the Goldenbaums and rule over a new, reformed Galactic Empire. After their meeting, Reinhard decided to take Oberstein in as a subordinate and advisor. To accomplish this, he advised Kaiser Friedrich IV not to accept the resignations of the three military chiefs of staff, arguing that the fault for the loss of Iserlohn Fortress lay solely with admiral Seeckt, who was dead, and Stockhausen, who was a prisoner of war. Secretary of State Klaus von Lichtenlade agreed with Reinhard's assessment, and the resignations were turned down. Naturally, becuase they had been let off the hook, the military higher-ups were forced to be lenient to Oberstein in return. FPA invasion and Imperial Civil War Oberstein was promoted to commodore as Reinhard's staff officer, which is unusual given that Oberstein gained no battle accolade since joining Reinhard's admiralty. Furthermore, during the Galactic Civil War, not even a year later, Oberstein is a vice admiral. This rapid ascension of rank could be a testament to how vital an administrator he is behind the scenes of battle. Oberstein recommended that Ovlesser, upon capture, be allowed his life and freedom. He predicted Prince Braunschwieg's paranoia of the unharmed Ovlesser, and the Lappstadt nobles executed Ovlessor. When Oberstein learned of Westerland's impending doom, he recommended that Reinhard not prevent the eradication. Reinhard adamantly refused and ordered an envoy to defend the planet. Unable to convince Reinhard, Oberstein lied to Reinhard in order to allow the incident. He told Reinhard the bombing would occur in 6 days, but in reality the bombing occured in 4 days. Reinhard later chided Oberstein for the filming of the event, but it is unknown if Reinhard was aware of the deception. Thus, Oberstein is the sole enabler of the incident, and not Reinhard. The Goldenlohen Throne ... Chief of Military Affairs During Reinhard's second invasion of the Free Planets Alliance, Oberstein handled military administration from Phezzan. During this time he was injured in a terrorist bombing. Unlike Cornelius Lutz, who was injured in the same attack, Oberstein received little sympathy as he was highly unpopular with the other Fleet Admirals. After the Battle of the Corridor Oberstein proposed that a senior officer be sent to Iserlohn as hostage against Yang Wen-li's safe return. However, once Yang was in Imperial hands he should be executed regardless of consequence to the hostage. Oberstein explicitly stated his own readiness to be the hostage in this scenario but Reinhard rejected the plan. Later when Oskar von Reuenthal rose up in rebellion against Reinhard, to a considerable degree due to the strong dislike he had for Oberstein and for Heydrich Lang, Oberstein expected to be sent as a special envoy to von Reuenthal. When Lang protested his own inclusion in the proposed delegation on the grounds that von Reuenthal would probably shoot him on sight, Oberstein unemotionally observed that the rebel admiral's hatred for him was just as strong. Death Despite constantly being viewed with distrust, and despite occasionally toying with the idea of siezing power for himself, Oberstein remained unflinchingly loyal to Reinhard von Lohengramm and the Goldenlohen Dynasty for his entire life, never faltering in the least. After the Battle of Shiva when Reinhard returned to Phezzan, aware that he was terminally ill, he agreed with Oberstein to use himself as a lure to draw out the remaining Terraists. Oberstein let it be known that Reinhard expected to recover and would then resume to destroy the organization entirely as a blow against the Terraists. As expected this led to an attack on the temporary Imperial Residence, repeating their earlier attempt that had been foiled by Kessler. Although the Terrarists were unsuccessful, Oberstein was mortally wounded by a bomb and refused futile medical efforts. He left a message for his butler advising of where his will could be found and instructions as to how his dog should be treated. He died within thirty minutes of the attack. Famous quotes "I am the only living survivor of the Iserlohn stationed fleet. Just by surviving I am to be punished.*" "As you see, both of my eyes are cybernetic. I had no right to live, as a weakling. If it had been during the reign of Kaiser Rudolf, I would have been killed long ago. Do you understand? I hate them: Kaiser Rudolf, his descendants, and all those influenced by him." "The Galactic Empire--no, the Goldenbaum Dynasty must perish. If it is possible, I want to destroy it with my own hands." "There is nobody other than your Excellency who can build a new empire." *Since Oberstein quite clearly was NOT the only survivor of the Fifth Battle of Tiamat, it's likely that he only counted officers of a set-rank or higher. Appearances * * * * * * Category:Soldiers Category:Politicians Category:Nobility Category:Imperial Citizens